UN to investigate plight of US Native Americans for first time By Ewen MacAskill, The Guardian

James Anaya at Arizona U. conference Photo credit- The University of Arizona

Osiyo. James Anaya, is originally from New Mexico and is well versed in Native American issues. He is the UN special rapporteur for Indigenous people and he will lead an investigation into the rights of Native Americans which will be presented to the United Nations. This is the first time in history an inquiry on behalf of Indians has taken place at the UN.
Excerpt:

“The UN is to conduct an investigation into the plight of US Native Americans, the first such mission in its history.
The human rights inquiry led by James Anaya, the UN special rapporteur on indigenous peoples, is scheduled to begin on Monday.
Many of the country’s estimated 2.7 million Native Americans live in federally recognized tribal areas which are plagued with unemployment, alcoholism, high suicide rates, incest and other social problems…A UN statement said: This will be the first mission to the US by an independent expert designated by the UN human rights council to report on the rights of the indigenous peoples.

James Anaya. Photo credit UN News Centre.

Anaya, a University of Arizona professor of human rights said: “I will examine the situation of the American Indian/Native American, Alaska Native and Hawaiian peoples against the background of the United States’ endorsement of the UN declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples.”

Apart from social issues, US Native Americans are involved in near continuous disputes over sovereignty and land rights. Although they were given power over large areas, most of it in the west, their rights are repeatedly challenged by state governments.

Most Americans have little contact with those living in the 500-plus tribal areas, except as tourists on trips to casinos allowed on land outside federal jurisdiction or to view spectacular landscapes…Anaya’s past record shows a deep sympathy with Native Americans’ plight. In one development dispute, he told the council that the desecration of sacred sites was an urgent human rights issue…”

Read the article in its entirety and share your thoughts with us!

“A very great vision is needed and the man who has it must follow it as the eagle seeks the deepest blue of the sky.”~Tȟašúŋke Witkó~
(Crazy Horse-1840 – 1877)

Legend of the Talking Feather: Kanati and Asgaya Gigagei Bestow the Gift of The Talking Feather

New Baseball Season Brings Fresh Protests Against Cleveland Indians Mascot, By Stephanie Siek, CNN

Louis Sockalexis. Photo credit Cleveland News

Osiyo. Louis Francis “Chief” Sockalexis, a member of the  Penobscot Indians Nation, was the first American Indian to play professional baseball in the National League.  He played for the team (then known as the Cleveland Spiders) in the position of outfielder from 1897 to 1899. We placed his photograph here to show him respect and honor. This is especially important since the Cleveland sports team (now calling themselves the Cleveland Indians) claim the name of their team and of their mascot  was chosen  to honor Mr. Sockalexis. The tragedy here is that today very few Indians (or non-Indians) know the name of  Louis  Sockalexis, his contributions to American Indians, or of  his connection to this baseball team.

Excerpt:

“It’s the Cleveland Indians home opener and the grounds outside Progressive Field are a sea of red and blue jerseys. As the crowds of celebratory fans walk toward the ballpark’s entrance, they pass a small group of protesters holding signs that say that the team’s name and mascot, Chief Wahoo, are racist and offensive.

About 10 people stand in a small park next to the stadium, quietly holding signs that say “People Not Mascots” and “Stop Teaching Your Children Racism.” Every once in a while, someone in the stream of baseball fans pauses to shout mockingly, “Chief Wahoo Rules!”…Robert Roche, executive director of Cleveland’s American Indian Education Center and a Chirichau Apache tribal member, says it’s been like this each of the 30-some years he’s been protesting….If you stand here long enough, Roche says, you’ll see that racism is alive and well in Cleveland…

Local Native Americans and advocates have been protesting the name and mascot on Opening Day since 1973… They regard Chief Wahoo as even worse – the caricature of an American Indian with bright red skin, a toothy grin, hooked nose and feather headband plays on stereotypes of Native Americans…Louis Sockalexis was one of, if not the, first Native American to play for the Major Leagues. Sockalexis, an outfielder who was renowned for his distance throwing and hitting skills…According to a timeline on the Indians team website, the Indians name dates to 1915, when what had been the Cleveland Naps was renamed to honor…Louis Sockalexis…A different examination of the team’s history showed the name’s origin is murkier ..examination of local newspaper articles printed around the time of the 1915 renaming cast doubt on whether honoring Sockalexis was ever part of the discussion.”

Louis Sockalexis. By Bill Wise

“I have seen all the good outfielders of the League, and I am just as good as any of them. (Washington Post, May 20, 1897) Will I succeed? Of course I will…” (Sporting Life, June 19,1897)~ Louis Sockalexis~(October 24, 1871 – December 24, 1913)

John Two-Hawks. Photo credit: Native Radio.com

“Let me begin by saying that the fact that I even have to have a page on my site for this is a crying shame.” ~By John Two-Hawks~ (Oglala Lakota) from his article: Battling Racism- How Indian’ Mascots Oppress

Read both articles,  visit John Two-Hawks site, and give your support. We need to stop Racism…now.

Tags: Cleveland baseball team, Louis Francis "Chief" Sockalexis, Penobscot Indians

Native American Women Veterans By Judith Bellafaire, Ph.D., Curator, Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation

Lori Piestewa, Hopi-(December 14, 1979 – March 23, 2003) Photo credit: ARMY.MIL

Osiyo. March is Women’s History month and we wanted to acknowledge the contributions made by Native Indian women in all sectors of  American society. The list is both impressive and extensive, however, there is one group of Indian women rarely mentioned when speaking of the U.S. military; our female soldiers. They are the  mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives who risk their lives for the safety of Indians and non-Indians.  Many have  died defending their homes and their loved ones…

The following article expresses these sentiments, and provides information of notable American Indian women who have served in the U.S. military over the years. Excerpt:

 

 

“Very little is known about the contributions of Native American women to the United States military. The Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation is attempting to fill this gap by encouraging Native American women veterans to register with the Memorial so that their stories may be recorded and preserved. They are also conducting research on the contributions of Native American women of earlier eras…Four Native American Catholic Sisters from Fort Berthold, South Dakota worked as nurses for the War Department during the Spanish American War (1898). Originally assigned to the military hospital at Jacksonville, Florida, the nurses were soon transferred to Havana, Cuba. One of the nurses, Sister Anthony died of disease in Cuba and was buried with military honors…Fourteen Native American women served as members of the Army Nurse Corps during World War I, two of them overseas…Nearly 800 Native American women served in the military during World War II…Sarah Mae Peshlakai, a member of the Navajo Tribe from Crystal, New Mexico, enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps in 1951 and served until 1957…Shirley M. Arviso, a Navajo of the Bitter Water Clan, served in the Navy from 1953 through 1963. She was the Communications Officer in charge of a group of people who decrypted classified messages… As of 1994, 1,509 Native American women and Native Alaskan women were serving in the military forces of the United States.”

Katherine Matthews-Cherokee Tribe, North Carolina,1970s.Credit: Women’s Memorial.org

Elva (Tapedo) Wale-Kiowa-served in WWII. Credit:Women's Memorial.org

DarleneYellowcloud-Lakota Tribe,1980s.Credit:Women's Memorial.org

“…The Lord blesses us with children, and he blesses us with friends, however it’s only on a loan basis. It’s not on a forever basis, because we’re not here on this Earth forever.”

~Percy Piestewa~(Father of Lori Piestewa)

Tags: American Indian Women, U.S. Military, Women's History Month

After Miracle, American Indian Woman…for Sainthood, by Kie Relyea, Eagle-Tribune-McClatchy Newspapers

Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha-photo- Catholic org.

Osiyo, A wonderful  event has occurred over the Christmas holiday. The  Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, who was a member of the Mohawk-Alogonquain Nation will be the first American Indian to be canonized. For  many American Indian Catholics, Blessed Kateri’s canonization was a cause for celebration. Excerpt:

“BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Pope Benedict XVI has decreed that a Washington state boy’s recovery from the flesh-eating bacteria that nearly killed him in 2006 is a miracle that can be attributed to Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha’s help, making possible the canonization of the first American Indian saint in the Catholic Church. Monsignor Paul A. Lenz, the vice postulator for the cause of Blessed Kateri, confirmed on Monday, Dec. 19, the link to Jake Finkbonner.

Doctors who treated Jake, as well as a committee of doctors at the Vatican, came to the same conclusion…They didn’t think any of their medical expertise was the cure…They thought every night he was going to die. As Jake lay near death, the Rev. Tim Sauer, a longtime family friend, advised his mom and dad, Elsa and Donny Finkbonner, to pray to Blessed Kateri, who is the patroness for American Indians, for her intercession. That is akin to asking Blessed Kateri to pray to God to perform a miracle on Jake’s behalf. The boy is of Lummi descent.

The Vatican decided Jake’s recovery was a miracle that is beyond the explanation of medicine and that could be attributed to the intercession on his behalf by Blessed Kateri, who was born in 1656…Known as the Lily of the Mohawks, she was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980, becoming the first American Indian to be so honored.”

A Must read article! It provides us with Inspiration and most importantly Hope for the New Year.

Painting of The Blessed Kateri photo: The Tamastslikt Cultural Institute

Biography  for The  Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha can be read here.

YouTube Video: courtesy of the Jesuit Community of Auriesville, NY

To learn more, See the video narrated by Father John Paret, SJ, Father Victor Hoagland, CP, and Eleonora Centrone. (click on photo)

“I am not my own; I have given myself to Jesus. He must be my only love…With the work of my hands I shall always earn what is necessary and what is left over I’ll give to my relatives and to the poor… If I should become sick and unable to work, then I shall be like the Lord on the cross. He will have mercy on me and help me, I am sure.”  ~The  Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha~

To all of our readers, (and those yet to join us) please be safe, and may you have a Happy and Prosperous New Year…alihelisdi itse udetiyvsadisvi

Tags: Pope Benedict XVI, The Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha

The MacArthur Foundation, Jessie Little Doe Baird

Osiyo,

We find ourselves once again at the holiday known as Thanksgiving, which for some is a time for celebration, and for others a time for reflection on disastrous past historical events. These events involved the pilgrims and the American Indian tribe  The Wampanoag who helped the first group of pilgrims survive… and later regretted it. The result was that the tribe was nearly decimated, and lost everything, including their language.

Jessie Little Doe Baird photo Courtesy the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

No… not quite everything, they kept their spirit. Because of this spirit, Jessie Little Doe Baird, a member of  the Mashpee Wampanoag Nation was determined to revive the Wampanoag language which was an important part of their culture. An excerpt from the article:

“….She undertook graduate training in linguistics and language pedagogy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she worked with the late Kenneth Hale, a scholar of indigenous languages, to decipher grammatical patterns and compile vocabulary lists from archival Wampanoag documents… Baird founded the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project, an intertribal effort that aims to return fluency to the Wampanoag Nation…” A must read article.

Professor Ken Hale (August 15, 1934 – October 8, 2001)

With the help  and guidance of the venerable Linguist, Professor Kenneth L. Hale, of MIT, the Wampanoag language has been revived.

In addition, Independent Lens created a film about the Wampanoag Language Reclamation Project  entitled  We Still Live Here:

“Celebrated every Thanksgiving as the ‘Indians’ who saved the Pilgrims from starvation and then largely forgotten, the Wampanoag communities of southeastern Massachusetts are reviving their native tongue, a language that had been silenced for more than 100 years.” Independent Lens-

“Language is the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they grow.” ~   Oliver Wendell Holmes~

Related Material

Kenneth L. Hale- MIT News

Lesson Plan: The Wampanoag By Grace Arai, Indian Education Program Anchorage School District.

This is a wonderful lesson plan that is well organized and covers the main aspects of  the Wampanoags’ life including their relationship with the pilgrims.  She also includes an answer key for questions, and a bibliography for further study.  This information is from Ms. Arai’s book:  The World of the Wampanoag: The Indians Who Met the Pilgrims

Visit Wampanoags, Plymouth, Massachusetts: Plymouth Plantation has created a 1620 date example of Hobbamock’s Homesite

Women’s Buckskin Dance by Pow Wow.com

Northern Buckskin Red Earth

Osiyo,

Women’s Buckskin Dance is one of the oldest forms of American Indian dancing. In the coming festivities to celebrate Native and Alaskan Indian Heritage month, the ladies will be performing this and other cultural dances. Here is an excerpt describing the dance. From the elegant and graceful steps, to the beautiful dresses.

“…One of the oldest forms of  Native American Women’s Dance is Buckskin… This is a dance of elegance and grace. The movement is smooth and flowing.

The ladies wear fine, hand-crafted buckskin dresses, decorated with intricate bead designs. Northern dresses are fully beaded on the shoulders, or cape. Southern ones, the beadwork is mainly used to accent. They are equally beautiful. The women carry fringed shawls over one arm…The jewelry is breath taking…Breastplates made from hair bone pipe, and glass beads can hang to the waist, or all the way to the ankles… Circling the drum, they bob to the beat of the drum, letting the long fringe on their sleeves sway in time… This slight movement, however, creates a beautiful effect in moving their leather fringe in a breezy swaying motion…”

Visit the Pow Wow site to read the entire article and to learn more about Pow Wows!

Grand-entry- Woman and child
Rear view of this magnificent dress.	Northern Buckskin Morongo

“A modest woman, dressed out in all her finery, is the most tremendous object of the whole creation.”

~ Oliver Goldsmith~

Osiyo,

November is American Indian and Alaskan Native Heritage Month . This is the time for songs, dances, and reflections. Talking Feather features Lesson plans (with teachers’ guide and Answer Keys) Tribalpedia,  featuring the Inuit and Alaskan Nations. Be sure to visit and feel free to utilize the material, especially if you are a teacher.

President Obama at 2010 White House Tribal Nations Conference.

There are many wonderful events taking place. To begin  the celebrations, an article from Domestic Policy Council,  by Kimberly Teehee, the White House Senior Policy Advisor for Native American Affairs. She discusses the upcoming Tribal Nations Conference  2011. Excerpt: …”As you may have already heard, the President, along with members of the Cabinet, Senior Administration officials, and tribal leaders will gather at the 2011 White House Tribal Nations Conference on December 2nd. As part of President Obama’s ongoing outreach to the American people…”

We encourage everyone to read the entire article to learn more about the conference.

Artist James Luna: "Take a picture with a real Indian" exhibit.

Another site of interest is the Smithsonian “Infinity of Nations” The review of the exhibition by  Jess Righthand, explores thousands of years of artwork from the Native nations of North, Central and South America… One “very interesting” artist in the program is James Luna: “Standing at a podium wearing an outfit, I announce: “Take a picture with a real Indian. Take a picture here, in Washington, D.C. on this beautiful Monday morning, on this holiday called Columbus Day…And then I just stand there. Eventually, one person will pose with me. After that they just start lining up. I’ll do that for a while until I get mad enough or humiliated enough….”

Inuit woman's Tuilli, or Parka NMAI.

Another beautiful exhibit are the artifacts and clothing representing the various tribal Nations, such as this Inuit woman’s Tuilli.

R.C. Gorman painting

Included are the wonderful paintings, and drawings of  Navajo artist R.C. Gorman.

The N.C. Museum of History in downtown Raleigh, will hold its celebration Saturday, Nov. 19, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission and parking are FREE.

There are many up-coming events, and we will enjoy presenting as many as we can!

If you would like your celebration to be announced on Talking Feather send us an email (see below).  In the meantime, love who you are, and enjoy your life!

“What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences…Life is plurality, death is uniformity…Every culture that disappears, diminishes a possibility of life.” ~Octavio Paz~ Mexican poet and writer (1914-1998)
 

Native Foster Care: Lost Children and Shattered Families, NPR, by L. Sullivan and A. Walters

Derrin Yellow Robe-3- Crow Creek Reservation- photo: John Poole:NPR

Osiyo,

Recently NPR has been conducting an investigation into the removal of Native American children from their families and into foster care.  The result of their findings were shocking…

The following is an excerpt from the overview:

“Nearly 700 Native American children in South Dakota are being removed from their homes every year, sometimes under questionable circumstances. An NPR News investigation has found that the state is largely failing to place them according to the law. The vast majority of native kids in foster care in South Dakota are in nonnative homes or group homes, according to an NPR analysis of state records. Years ago, thousands of Native American children were forcibly removed from their homes and sent to boarding schools…Many suffered horrible abuse, leaving entire generations missing from the one place whose future depended on them —their tribes

In 1978, Congress tried to put a stop to it. They passed the Indian Child Welfare Act, which says except in the rarest circumstances, Native American children must be placed with their relatives or tribes. It also says states must do everything it can to keep native families together.

But 32 states are failing to abide by the act in one way or another, and, an NPR investigation has found, nowhere is that more apparent than in South Dakota. “Cousins are disappearing; family members are disappearing,” said Peter Lengkeek, a Crow Creek Tribal Council member. “It’s kidnapping. That’s how we see it.” State officials say they have to do what’s in the best interest of the child, but the state does have a financial incentive to remove the children. The state receives thousands of dollars from the federal government for every child it takes from a family, and in some cases the state gets even more money if the child is Native American. The result is that South Dakota is now removing children at a rate higher than the vast majority of other states in the country…”

We urge you to read (or listen to) the entire NPR series..

Our “heart-felt” thanks to our reader LJ!

Part 1: Incentives And Cultural Bias Fuel Foster System-

Part 2: Tribes Question Foster Group’s Power And Influence

Part 3: Native Survivors Of Foster Care Return Home

Suzanne Crow photo:John Poole/NPR

A Fight For Her Grandchildren Mirrors A Native Past- by Nathan Rott

Grown men can learn from very little children, for the hearts of little children are pure. Therefore, the Great Spirit may show to them many things which older people miss.~Black Elk~

(1863-1950-Holy Man of the Oglala Lakota Sioux)

Atanarjuat  ’The Fast Runner” (2001)

"The Fast Runner" stars Natar Ungalaaq (Atanarjuat) and Pakkak Innukshuk (Amaqjuaq).

Osiyo!

Talking Feather is proud to have the Inuit as part of our family. They are the first nation to appear in our Alaskan Nations group. For those of you who may not know of the Inuit film  Atanarjuat “Fast Runner” (2001) it was created by the Inuits with “all” Inuit actors.

The story is an Inuit legend about an evil spirit that enters a small Inuit village, and causes discord among the members. The warrior (Atanarjuat) battles this evil, and has to decide whether to follow the path of good or evil to defeat the evil. The tribal members endure many conflicts within the family (love, jealousy, hate, battles)

The following information is from the Inuit website:

The beautiful Atuat (Sylvis Ivalu) from Fast Runner

“Igloolik is a community of 1200 people located on a small island in the north Baffin region of the Canadian Arctic with archeological evidence of 4000 years of continuous habitation. Throughout these millennia, with no written language, untold numbers of nomadic Inuit renewed their culture and traditional knowledge for every generation entirely through storytelling.

Our film Atanarjuat is part of this continuous stream of oral history carried forward into the new millennium through a marriage of Inuit storytelling skills and new technology.

Atanarjuat is Canada’s first feature-length fiction film written, produced, directed, and acted by Inuit. An exciting action thriller set in ancient Igloolik, the film unfolds as a life-threatening struggle between powerful natural and supernatural characters. Atanarjuat gives international audiences a more authentic view of Inuit culture and oral tradition than ever before, from the inside and through Inuit eyes.

For countless generations, Igloolik elders have kept the legend of Atanarjuat alive to teach young Inuit the danger of setting personal desire above the needs of the group.

The tale of making the film is itself made up of many stories…”

Visit the website to learn more about the film, it’s actors, the  many awards the film has won, and to view more of the photos from the film. Very intriguing!

 
Website: Atanarjuat The Fast Runner

“Who plots evil with deceit in his heart–he always stirs up dissension.”~ Proverbs 6:14~

Apple’s Visionary Redefined Digital Age, By John Markoff,  The New York Times

Steve Jobs-1955-2011 photo: Wired Magazine

Osiyo,

We here at Talking Feather send our sympathy to Mr. Jobs’ family and friends. He will be missed.

“doh-na-da-go-huh-i…”

“The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented.”

~President  Barack Obama~ 2011

Tags: Apple, Steve Jobs